It’s about to get real for a good cause.
Last month, area singers were challenged to turn in audition tapes for a chance to compete in the second Durango Voice competition, a fundraiser for Manna. More than 30 people heeded the call, and from that, 18 were selected for the Live Blind Auditions.
And now it’s time for the chosen contestants to take the stage Saturday night at the Strater and try to win over four judges, who will select singers and work with them over the next four weeks until Night 2 on April 1, when the battle is really on and a victor is chosen.
Like the popular television show “The Voice,” judges have their backs turned toward the stage and can only hear contestants singing. From that, judges determine if they want to coach a contestant, and if so, they swing their chairs toward the stage.
After judges are matched with contestants, they have four weeks to work together to prepare for the final night in which a winner is chosen.
To add to the pressure for the singers: If no chairs are turned, the singer is eliminated from the competition.
Two of the judges turning their chairs Saturday at the Henry Strater Theatre are Jill Holly and Caprice Fox.
Holly, an award-winning vocalist who has performed around the world and has six solo CDs and countless collaborations to her name, is returning for her second go-round as a Durango Voice judge.
“Of course, it was fun! It was hard work, but it was fun,” she says. “I like supporting people who support good causes.”
So what’s she looking for in a contestant?
“I’m looking for someone fearless. Someone who really wants it and lays it all out on the line,” she says. “I’m looking to see new talent, to see what else there is.
This is Fox’s first year as a judge, but she’s been getting ready.
“I’m really psyched,’ she says. “I’ve been watching episodes of ‘The Voice’ going, ‘OK, this is how you do it.’ I want to get this right.”
Fox is a founding member of the “New York Voices” and has been training singers for 30 years. She says she has plans for her contestants, but how their coaching goes will depend on the individual singer.
“Every voice is so different – what their strengths are, what their style is – so it will be just listening to who they are and what they’re trying to get to,” she says. “But there are certain basic techniques that every singer needs to work on. And I like to work with that – just doing exercises to get their voice stronger.”
And she’s excited to see what people bring to the stage.
“I think just hearing the passion that comes out of people, what they are going to come up with,” she says. “I’m looking forward to hearing every attempt, what they’re going to come up with that’s an expression of themselves. “
For the finals, there will be two runners-up and the grand winner. Runners-up will receive prizes and gift certificates, and the winner will receive a prize and gig opportunities in town.
There will also be a guest performance by last year’s Durango Voice winner, Jade Robbins.
katie@durangoherald.com
If you go
What: The Durango Voice. – Night 1
When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave.
Tickets: $35 for one night, or $65 for both Night 1 and Night 2 (April 1).
More information: Call 375-7135 or visit http://bit.ly/2kkmgDH.
